October 2019 Issue

Not Slowing Down: Seven remarkable septuagenarians still making their mark on the region

By Ross Boissoneau

Movers. Shakers. International travelers. Working behind the scenes. Our 7Over70 honorees have been and done all these things and more. And they continue to do things, ordinary and extraordinary. While perhaps reluctant to take credit, their achievements speak for themselves. Here are this year’s 7Over70.

Steve Constantin

How it began: After graduating from college with an organizational psychology major, the Baton Rouge, La. native was hired by The Dow Chemical Co. in Midland, Mich. Over the years he worked in Midland, then Texas, Miami and Argentina before returning to Midland. Then it was off to Europe: England, …

Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman

By Chris Wendel

By Yvan Chouinard

Penguin Books; updated 2nd edition (Sept. 6, 2016), 272 pages, softcover: $10

Reviewed by Chris Wendel

In a nutshell: In an encore edition of a book first published in 2005, Yvan Chouinard, founder of the outdoor clothing company Patagonia, authentically tells the story of his business and its mission.

Who’s it for: General audiences and business owners who believe that making a profit and being socially conscientious are not mutually exclusive.

Author’s …

Out on a Limb: Venture North helps budding entrepreneurs launch

By Amy Lane

Brothers Garret and Dakota Porter own 45th Parallel Lighting LLC, producer of ActionGlow LED sports kits.

Venture North isn't afraid of it.

A quarter of its clients were under the age of 40 when they sought out financing help from Venture North or its predecessor programs.

Today, with a track record of 104 loans made to businesses and no defaults, Venture North Funding & Development has successfully helped entrepreneurs young and otherwise in northwest Michigan …

Age in (Work) Place: Tips for marketing yourself as an older candidate

By Jennifer Ewing

What does retirement from employment look like in 2019? The reality is, there is not one answer but rather everyone is self-defining this. Yes, there are those who embrace retirement in the traditional manner of no longer working for money, focusing on other items such as traveling, grandchildren or long-ignored hobbies. But others are choosing to continue working well into their 70s, 80s and sometimes 90s.

The reasons for this continued work are as varied …

Changing of the (mouth) Guard: Two orthodontists pass the baton to the next generation

About a year ago, Spencer Crouch (middle) started talking with Dr. Bill Northway (left) and Dr. Bob Portenga, paving the way for a deal that amounts to a passing of the baton, a merger, and a business acquisition all in one.

For the first time in 16 years, a …

By Craig Manning

Money Magnet: Banks, credit unions make move to capitalize on Traverse City's economic growth

Banks and credit unions are making numerous moves to capitalize on the region’s bustling business and population growth. Some are building new offices and branches. Others are consolidating to improve efficiencies. And there are a couple of new entrants into the market.

Construction is underway on a $15.5 million, …

By Rick Haglund

Trending Down: Banks, credit unions see lower interest rates ahead

Bankers and credit union executives take a variety of things into consideration when deciding how much interest to pay depositors for holding their money and how much to charge for loans.

Among them are the current need for deposits to fund loans. Inflation forecasts and what competitors are doing also …

By Rick Haglund

Let Us Reintroduce Ourselves: Meet the new Traverse Connect

Companies must continually evolve to stay relevant. They must be innovative, change with customer preferences and societal demands and address competitive economic factors.

This evolution is absolutely necessary for survival and can lead to new business structures, product strategies and new leadership. Firms can choose to be forward-thinking or reactive, …

By Warren Call

From Startup to Scalable: The case for loving your business

Thanks to accelerators and investors like Boomerang Catapult and 20Fathoms, a lot of cool companies are being born in Traverse City – from names you’ve heard before like Atlas Space Operations and Promethient to SampleServ, a new environmental software company that helps geologists graph and track field samples.

But we …

By McKeel Hagerty

Promethient Heats Up: Tech company targets automobile heating/cooling devices

Could a Traverse City-based technology company help shape the future of the automotive industry? Thanks to a local startup called Promethient, the answer might just be “Yes.”

Myers

According to Bill Myers, CEO of Promethient, the company is currently working with an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) within the automotive …

By Craig Manning

82 Years of Auto Sales: How Wares Auto thrives as an independent used car dealership

For Craig Wares of Wares Auto Sales, Inc., selling used cars was a birthright. His dad, Theron “Moose" Wares, launched the business in 1937, when he was just 19 years old. The dealership bounced around to a few different locations before settling into a former gas station building at the …

By Craig Manning

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